Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – Release Date, System Requirements

Ubisoft’s next Assassin’s Creed game has been announced, and it is set in the Viking Era, confirming a lot of the speculations that have been going around.

Players will be playing as the leader of a Viking Clan and take on the Saxons as they establish their place in England.

Assassin’s Creed’s has been a long-running franchise from when we were introduced to Desmond Miles in the original Assassin’s Creed.

We navigated the third crusade using the infamous Animus. At the same time, the latest released title in the series, Odyssey, took players to Athens, Greece.

Thirteen years later, the series is still going strong, and this time the stage is set for the players to lead their Viking Clan and make their mark on England.

1. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Release Date

Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will release on 17th November 2020 for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Stadia, and PC.

Ubisoft also confirmed that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla would be released on the Epic Games Store for the PC players. However, it is not known if this is a limited-time deal or not.

2. Every Valhalla Trailer Premiered Till Date

The first cinematic trailer showcases the Viking’s zeal for a righteous fight and that they are not just savage warmongers as depicted by the monarchs.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Cinematic World Premiere Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]

Since it is a cinematic trailer, it does not show actual gameplay footage but does set the tone for the whole plot. And it does point towards the end that it is not a Viking game but an Assassin’s Creed franchise title indeed.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: First Look Gameplay Trailer | Ubisoft NA

A ‘first-look at gameplay’ teaser was also released to showcase the game’s mechanics, but it displayed the settings and landscapes rather than the character’s gameplay.

Still, the game looks breathtaking and sure to keep the gameplay top-notch as the previous Assassin’s Creed titles.

3. What’s the Story in AC: Valhalla

While speaking to GameSpot, Valhalla’s Narrative Director, Derby McDevitt, gave an overview of the game’s general story.

“Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a game set in the 9th century, at the height of The Viking Age. The player is invited to take part as a Viking raider and also a leader of a clan from Norway.The general outline of the story is that, at the time period in which we begin, the 870s AD, it’s a time of strife in Norway. After a short time in Norway, the clan is eventually driven out of Norway to seek life elsewhere for political reasons, for matter of survival, and for narrative-driven reasons as well.”

Derby McDevitt, Valhalla’s Narrative Director

It looks like we might be leading the protagonist’s clan out of Norway to look for shelter elsewhere to survive.

“Then the bulk of the game transports you to England, when in the historical period–if you’re familiar–is the time of the Great Heathen Army running rampant.”

So the new home would be in England, but the monarchs won’t let foreigners march in through the gates, so we must fight for our place among them.

To connect with the modern-day Assasin’s Creed’s storyline, McDevitt confirms that Layla will be returning to Valhalla.

I. How Does Valhalla Continue The Assassin’s Creed Storyline?

McDevitt has some insights as to how Valhalla fits in the large franchise. Even Though AC: Valhalla is a standalone game, it merges well with the rest of the titles in the series.

“As far as the story goes, we do continue the story that began in Origins and continued in Odyssey.We take that and we build on it in a big way. We also did a lot of thinking about how to connect all the games, at least the lore of all the games, to make it feel like everything we’ve done over the past dozen games has little feelers and little entry points into this game.”

Derby makes it clear that the team has done ample research to avoid cheap references and make deep connections to previous storylines.

II. Valhalla Location and Era Details

AC Valhalla will be placed in England during the ninth century, beginning in the year 873. The Viking clan has just left Norway to start a new life in England, where the Saxons aren’t thrilled about their presence.

In real history, much of England was conquered by Viking armies from 860 to 900 AD, while smaller raids happened decades before that.

As seen in the Valhalla trailer, King Alfred the Great of Wessex was one of the few English rulers to repel the Norse armies successfully.

III. Meet Eivor, the Protagonist

You’ll be taking the helm as Eivor, a Viking leader and warrior. Even though the trailer showed a male Eivor, the player can choose to be a female version of Eivor.

A female Eivor in figurine form is available as merchandise for those who want to take a look. Note that the figurine comes with a price tag of $200!

Ubisoft has not released information regarding the differences in abilities between the male and female versions during gameplay. Most probably, it would just be a different skin and a different voice actor.

4. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Gameplay Details

With Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, we saw the good old stealth mechanisms turned into a full-fledged RPG experience, with the addition of branched storylines based on the player’s choices.

Fans welcomed the changes, and it would be refreshing to see the same model being adapted for Valhalla.

“Advanced RPG mechanics allow you to shape the growth of your character and influence the world around you”

Ubisoft

I. Combat in Valhalla: Introducing the Dual Axes

The first battle in the cinematic trailer sets the tone for the combat in the game.

“If you’re going to make a Viking game, the combat needs to be visceral. It needs to be quite brutal.”

Ashraf Ismail, Creative director,

The game would include large scale battles as well as raids. The cinematic trailer doesn’t dive into combat gameplay, but few things are clear and there will be heavily armoured Saxon warriors with some weak points as shown in the trailer.

Eivor is confirmed to have throwing axes, dual-wield multiple weapons, including two shields. Even the hidden classic Assassin’s blade is back, which is in a chamber on the topside of Eivor’s gauntlet.

II. Hidden Blade hinting at Eivor Being An Assassin?

We don’t know Eivor’s backstory at this point, but creative director Ashraf Ismail did give some background on Eivor’s connection to the Assassins.

According to Ismail, Eivor meets and works with the assassins early on, but doesn’t know much about them. He shares some common ground with the assassins, probably meaning that Eivor’s dethroning of Saxon rulers also benefits the assassins.

Fans will be reminded of another AC character indirectly linked to the Assassins, Edward Kenway in Assassin’s Creed 4: BlackFlag.

Kenway was initially a free-roaming pirate but started working for the Assassins and eventually leads the London Brotherhood. Eivor might follow in the same steps.

III. Manage Your Village and Tattoo Parlor 

Earlier Assassin’s Creed games may have dabbled into player bases lightly, but base management will be a key gameplay element for AC Valhalla.

You will be in charge of settling and managing your clan and your duties include but are not limited to building barracks, armories, and even tattoo parlors.

“It’s your own Viking village you’ll see prosper and grow, and which your clan mates will live in, It’s at the center of our quests and the center of the decisions you make. We want players to see the consequences of their actions,”

Interview, Julien Laferrière, lead producer

IV. World Events Replace Side Quests

To maintain realism in the game, the old system of side quests will be updated in the new AC title. While speaking with Gamespot, Darby McDevitt explained that there would be almost no traditional side quests.

Instead, players will be allowed to discover additional activities or “world events” found throughout the games universe.

Implementing such a system would surely be a unique task, but here’s to hoping that it would improve upon the criticism that the past titles received in terms of side quest bloat.

V. Share Raiders and Resources Among Friends

As your clan expands deep into England’s territory, you will be launching massive raids to extend your settlements while initiating attacks from your longboats or on the ground to capture Saxon Forts and cities.

Those of you opting for a pacifist approach can even utilize diplomacy to forge alliances with some of the enemy rulers.

Your settlement will be capable of producing unique Viking Raiders to fight for your cause.

These raiders can be shared among your friends and allies to help them. You will gain experience points and loot whenever others use your raiders.

VI. Legendary Hero Beowulf’s Cameo in Valhalla

The Legend of Beowulf DLC mission for Valhalla was recently leaked and players will “discover the cruel truth” behind the mythical hero.

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that follows the brutal warrior’s story and his battles with three vicious monsters, including one magnificent dragon.

5. What Platforms WIll Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Release On?

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be coming out on Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Stadia, and PC.

I. No Steam Launch For Valhalla As Of Now

Ubisoft would be dropping several new titles on the Epic Games Store, including Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

It will also be available on Ubisoft’s Uplay launcher, but there is no news about the game being released on Steam later. If any news is announced, updates will start rolling out, so stay tuned.

6. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Minimum System Requirements

Ubisoft has not released the system requirements, but according to speculations, you should at least have the following configuration to run AC: Valhalla.

	Minimum Specifications	Recommended Specifications
CPU	Intel Core i5 4590 / AMD FX 8350	AMD Ryzen 7 / Intel Core i7-6700K
RAM	8 GB	12 GB
GPU	AMD Radeon R9 290 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960	AMD Radeon R9 390 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
STORAGE	N/A	N/A
OS	Windows 7 or Above	Windows 10 (64-Bit)